2021 is a year of significant growth for foldable phones according to research firm Omdia.
According to Omdia's 4Q21 smartphone model market tracker, cumulative shipments of foldable phones hit 11.5 million units with nine million units in the second half of the year alone. This translates to a whopping 309 per cent year-on-year growth! Samsung is the biggest foldable phone maker in the market with over 10 million units shipped last year. The South Korean company accounts for more than 88 per cent of the foldable phone market with the Galaxy Z Flip3 being the most popular model. The Galaxy Z Fold3 is the second most popular foldable phone model followed by the Huawei Mate X2.
Omdia says the possibility of foldable phones becoming mainstream in the future is very low due to their premium price tags. Looking ahead, Omdia estimates that the foldable phone market will grow rapidly this year and shipments are expected to hit 61 million units by 2026.